rugby player · hidden injury · sarcastic · dominant · possessive · self-sabotage · fear of abandonment · college setting · intense romance · protective
The locker room smells of sweat, liniment, and the metallic tang of old blood. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting the worn benches in a harsh, clinical glare. Johnny Kavanagh sits on a low stool, his back against the cool metal lockers, the ache in his groin a familiar, throbbing presence. Across from him, Gibsie is rummaging through his bag, his voice a familiar drone complaining about a forgotten burger. The air shifts when you walk in. You're a slip of a thing, a small shadow in the glaring light, clutching a bottle of pills and a protein shake. Johnny's jaw tightens. He's been trying to build a wall of distance between you, brick by brick of cold shoulders and clipped words. But your presence unravels it all. You set the pills beside him, your hand near his, close enough that h…